We wondered what would happen if a monstrous pumpkin ale, plump full of spicy gourdiness, were aged in fine fresh rum barrels to add suggestions of delicate oak and candied molasses. Rumpkin is what happened! This first member of the Annual Barrel-Aged Series was brewed with roasted pumpkins from a local Boulder County farm, and spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger.

Plenty of pumpkin pie spice and moderate rum. Tasty but very sweet. The rum is a nice touch. Thick mouthfeel. Glad I tried 5 oz of it today. I enjoyed it but not as much as other pumpkin beers I've had this season at 1/3 to 1/2 as much alcohol. (310 characters)

Time to catch up on reviews of beers I had over the holidays. On draft at Capone's. Served in a 5.5 oz snifter...

A - Presented a deep orange color with some honey-like highlights when held to the light. Surprisingly nice eggshell white head that recedes to a cap. Some nice lacing.

S - Whoa. Sweet rum and vanilla come out right away; much more rum than I would've expected. This is followed by a big blast of nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, brown sugar and pumpkin. The aromas are quite sweet.

T - Quite sweet and very rich; and I have a BIG sweet-tooth. Lots of rum stands out mixing trying to mix with the pumpkin and pumokin pie spices (allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon). Caramel malts and oak come through too making it seem much sweeter.

M - Medium to full bodied beer that is quite rich, sticky and sweet. Higher carbonation than I would've expected, but it was on tap.

O - The sweetness of this one, mixed with the high ABV, made it a little tough to get through. DEFINITELY a sipper if I've ever encountered one. Really interesting idea, although I wonder if rum barrels were the best choice for a beer like this. (1,119 characters)

The spice and rum dominate the flavors. Whew, the heat at the end! It's great cause it's not boozy and doesn't seem like 18% is obliterating my senses. Overall, I don't get enough of the pumpkin and oak barrel as I'd like to because the rum and spices dominate palate. It reminds me of how Uncle Jacobs does the same; it's as if Avery just pours a couple ounces of the spirit straight into the beer just prior to bottling. Let the reader know that I'm not particularly fond of Rum.

The body is rather light than I prefer as well for a pumpkin ale, but I suppose the body's gotta be as is due to the high ABV. Doesn't come close to Almanac's, but still a great pumpkin ale to enjoy during the cold fall and winter months. (918 characters)

S- Holy rum booze and pumpkin spices. Lots of cinnamon and nutmeg that is still dominated by the white sugary sweet base beer. Kind of hard to get the nuances of this beer. [3.75]

F- Rum booze, cinnamon, nutmeg, cider-like tartness. But this is very rum-forward. I definitely feel drunk after tasting an ounce of this beer. [3.75]

M- Full bodied, thick and sugary. Strong body, strong booziness. I can't even begin to imagine how much malt they used to brew this. Sugary sweet and hot finish on this one. [3.5]

O- Definitely a flavour intense pumpkin beer, but its not exactly what I'm looking for in a pumpkin beer, especially not at the price point it sells for. The booze quotient is extremely high in this one, as is the diabeetus quotient. This 12oz bottle is definitely best split with multiple people. [4]

A: The beer pours out of the bottle the most ridiculous color of orange I have ever seen. It rests in the glass almost brown, viscous as hell, and with an orange-tinted head. The head is nothing more than a few bubbles and hangs out for only a fleeting second. It just looks like a big beer. 4.5

S: The aroma is strangely muted. Spices, definitely some rum, and the pumpkin mostly. The alcohol is hot and dominates the other aromas. I guess I expected the pumpkin and rum to attack me right off the bat, but this seems to be a more blended, less aggressive aroma. 3

T: The taste is really focused on the rum. In fact, I'd almost say the rum is cut with pumpkin. There seems to be another factor adding thickness here, which I'll call molasses because the beer is really sweet. Spices rest on the backend, both from the beer and the rum barrel. The pumpkin really presents itself throughout the entire taste, attempting to compete with the rum when it reality it only plays second fiddle. The finish is all rum and vanilla and the beer warms you as you drink. I do like the beer despite it's over-the-top ruminess. I'm impressed that pumpkin can play on this level, but I'm afraid it isn't quite good enough to make this a top notch offering.

MF: The beer actually burns on the way down, which although I've had a good number of very high ABV beers, I can't say I'm used to. The body is thick and heavy, coating the mouth with rum and spice. The size of this beer makes the drinkability a bit lower than it could be. The alcohol just takes you over. 3.5

O: This beer quite literally warms my soul. I thought the fresh version was hot (something I remember when I had this on tap last year), so I'm excited to see what happened to the bottle I held on to for a year. If you can find this, buy it, and experience it. I doubt you'll regret it. 4

Oct. 2011 Bottling.

A: The body has gotten much darker, and the bright orange appearance that so struck me before has turned into more of a sludge amber with a white head. The body is much more clear than the 2012 version. As before, the bubbly head doesn't stick around that long at all. A ton of crap has built up at the bottom of the bottle, which I didn't pour into my glass. I can't stress enough that they look like different beers. 3.5

S: The pumpkin asserts itself much more, with the spices underneath. The rum plays well here and the booze is as strong as ever at the finish. I'm actually a little surprised the alcohol hasn't been cut a bit more, it's still almost burning my nostrils. 3

T: I'll say this right up front, the taste is significantly better. I'd say the best pumpkin beer I've had to this point. The balance, finally, is noticeable and MUCH appreciated. The sweetness is still big, and the caramel seems to be much stronger than any pumpkin. The rum and alcohol play big parts here, but as I said it's actually balanced. The spices are gone. Big malt finish and I appreciate the beer not burning on the way down. 5

MF: Thinner body with more carbonation. The drinkability is much higher because of the balance and lower level of noticeable alcohol. I still feel the 18.1% ABV after I'm about halfway through the bottle, however. 4

O: Huge improvement. I actually wish I had another bottle to hold onto for a few year. My guess is this will only continue to get better. I absolutely recommend you age this over drinking it fresh. Having had it fresh on tap and in the bottle, this is much better. 4.5 (3,544 characters)

This brew is a deep, dark amber. Smells of alcohol & a fruity sweetness. The initial taste mirrors that smell with dark molasses & roasted pumpkin flavors. That is followed up by a boozy shot of cinnamon & other spices. I think the rum adds a slight warming into the finish. Despite the high abv popping through, this is a very tasty pumpkin offering that y'all need to go pickup. Good brew to sip next to the firepit after sundown. (432 characters)

On tap on Tapwerks in an 8 oz snifter. Dark red/amber caramel color with very little head produced. Very sweet aroma of rum, caramel, and cinnamon. The taste is interesting. Very sweet at the start with caramel candy flavors, slight cinnamon, nutmeg, banana bread ,vanilla, and cane sugar rum flavors. Definitely some alcohol warmth, but surprisingly not boozy. As this warms up its gets way too sweet and cloying to point of being unpleasant. Mouthfeel is sticky, full ,and cloying towards the finish. Overall, its good, especially at first, but way too sweet towards the end. Plenty of rum flavor and sweet candy sugar, but it becomes too much and even at 8 oz it was hard to finish. I'd have it again, but I'd prefer an even smaller portion. (82/100) (762 characters)

Appearance: Deep caramel/copper. Head is off-white. Thin head and a small ring grace the top of the beer. Pours on the thick side. Very still. Slight chill haze pervades.

Smell: Vanilla, rum, oak, cinnamon and pumpkin flesh. Real pumpkin flesh carries the vegetable quality I love to see in a pumpkin beer. Sweet caramel and molasses round it all out. Decidedly sweet with a nice depth and complexity. Faint touch of ginger on the back. Oh, did I mention rum?

Taste: Rum with a pumpkin pie chaser. Cinnamon and nutmeg are in abundance. Molasses and caramel coupled with hints of vanilla. Oak adds a nice dimension to the whole thing. Rum really plays through and interacts with the flavors of a beefy pumpkin ale. Spice profile is on point. Malts are pleasantly sweet.

Mouthfeel: Nice and full with hints of something syrupy. Dry on the back from the big hit of booze. Carbonation is low.

Overall: Definitely a sipper, but a nice treatment for the pumpkin ale. The rum flavors add a nice depth that compliments the delicious fall spices. A bit too aggressive overall, but a year or two should make this interesting. (1,119 characters)

Rumpkin comes in the tulip looking hazyish orange that is semi bright up to light. A small cap of off white foam graces the top of this one, no stick. Smell is str8 rum barrel mixed in with pumpkin spices. Some small amounts of chocolate and some brown sugar. Some alcohol as well. For 13 percent or so pretty well tamed. Taste is pumpkin spice, not so much pumpkin pie flavor. Rum is well stated comes on strong and resembles a spirit in some fashion. Some small cocco, molasses, booze soaked apples and the like. The alcohol is well hidden but feel comes off like a spirit of sorts. Coating, medium bodied, a light carb. A interesting beer, not one i'll be reaching the ends of the earth for, small pours of this are encouraged, would love to have this near the holidays with family. (832 characters)

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a tulip glass. Bottled on Sept. 6 2013. 18.53% ABV.

A- Small creme caramel head that quickly dissipated to nothing. Deep garnet with a small degree of clarity, can see the shadow of my finger through the glass. Sticks to the glass like a spirit. Some fine particles in the glass, could be yeast, pumpkin, or spices.

S- Lots and lots of caramelized sugars followed by some mellow spices of cinnamon, mace and allspice, some vanilla and a light pumpkin mellowness. The alcohol is present but not nearly to the degree I thought this 18% beer would be.

T- Similar to the aroma. Very, very sweet, one of the sweetest beers I've had. Caramelized sugars, marshmallow, lots of rum raisin, the ABV comes on more in the taste can definitely tell this is a strong beer. The spices a there at a nice balanced level. Slight burn as it goes down the throat. Some vanilla and wood from the barrel on the end.

M- Heavy mouthfeel, a definite sipper.

O- This beer is very sweet, a bit too sweet for me to finish one bottle by myself, should have split this with someone. It took me about 2 hours to drink the thing. After a while thought it really grew on me, maybe I was just getting drunk. An interesting beer that I'm really going back and forth on a lot of aspects of the flavor but ultimately it's just too sweet for me to really find it outstanding, and I generally love sweet beers like Wee Heavys and English Barleywines. (1,452 characters)

From 11/23/11 notes. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip, split with my brother. Batch 11.1, bottled 10/05/11.

a - Pours a hazy dark reddish brown color with one inch of tan head and low to moderate carbonation evident. Little head retention and no lacing.

s - Smells of pumpkin, gingerbread, nutmeg, rum, alcohol, and light spices. Lots of pumpkin and bread, and not quite as much alcohol as I was expecting.

t - Tastes of pumpkin, very sweet dark fruits, bready malts, rum, alcohol, spice, wood, light toasted notes. Again, actually not quite as much alcohol as I expected, though it was more prevelant than in the nose. A little too sweet, but still good.

o - Overall I thought this beer was pretty good, and it was better than I was expecting. The taste was a bit sweet and boozy, but I enjoyed the nose quite a bit. Would be interested to see how this is with a year on it; may throw a bottle in the cellar until next Thanksgiving. (1,052 characters)

Appearance: Pours an extremely deep, clear copper color with a ton of carbonation. Just a beautiful hue to this beer. About 1" of light khaki head forms, which has decent retention, and really no lacing. Head retention characteristics are quite good for a beer this ABV. Reduces down to a healthy ring around the edges of the glass. One of the more gorgeous beers I have seen recently.

Smell: Toasted caramel, maybe a slight pumpkin note, as well as the requisite pumpkin pie spice. Not a lot of barrel, but a significant rum presence. Does not smell quite as big as the ABV would indicate.

Taste: Whoa, there is the ABV. Big time alcohol burst upon the first sip. Underneath that, sweet pumpkin and toasted caramel, along with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc. Again, not a ton of woodiness or barrel character, but the rum is quite prominent.

Mouthfeel/Overall: The body on this beer is quite big as you would expect, and all of that carbonation does not show quite as much on the palate, oddly enough. A bit on the syrupy side. Extreme alcohol burn on the back end. Overall, this is a beer I was very excited to get ahold of and try. It certainly lived up to expectations on a number of levels. Very flavorful and a good fall beer. In the end though, the ABV for this style is just too high for me, making this a quintessential sipper and a bit hard to get through. Half of this 12oz bottle would have been sufficient for me. Definitely worth a try though. (1,499 characters)

O:Very good beer for what it is. I am no fan of pumpkin beers or of a lot of barrel aged ones. This is, however, a very fine example of what it is. Admittedly, it was too much for me, but does seem to be a solidly brewed pumpkin beer made very complex through the use of barrels. It is also too boozy in my opinion, I don't understand what is gained by being stronger than wine, but whatever. It is very multi-layered and I feel like a lower booze presence could maybe bring out somem other things in it, but who knows...There is a lot of very spicy ginger presence and the hot-buttered-rum feel and flavor is constantly there. The aroma is of pumpkin pie and Nag Champa (appropriate since it's from Boulder). Warming, oily, and intense.One to be sipped and shared. Won't have again; but, if you like boozy BA beers and/or pumpkin beers, you can't go wrong, this has got to be the cream of the crop for you : ) (3.75) (1,473 characters)

Appearance: Pours a murky reddish amber with just a very little bit of off white head.

Smell: Incredibly sweet with a ton of malt and some alcohol. There is some pumpkin and rum in there. It also smells like some other fruits, perhaps ripe pineapple or bananas.

Taste: As in the taste, extremely sweet, but that is expected. Notes of caramel and dark fruit as well as pumpkin and some mild banana notes. The somewhat unpleasant pineapple like note in the smell doesn't show up here. Some Rum and very warm alcohol in the finish.

Mouthfeel: The body is on the thick side of medium and mildly syrupy. Aggressively tingly carbonation and a finish that is a little bit dry and quite hot.

Overall: This beer is right up my alley. I'm a huge fan of breweries trying different and weird things. I would have another. (860 characters)

A - Deep mahogany with reddish hues. Poured with minimal head. Only patches of lacing on this beer.

S - Very sweet and alcoholic. Nice rum notes and lots of spices. Like cinnamon and nutmeg and even a little clove spiciness. Smells like a pumpkin pie.

T - Spiced rum comes to mind. Taste exactly what it smells like. An alcoholic pumpkin pie. With all the sweet cinnamon and nutmeg flavors being more dominant. Alcohol is also very strong in the taste. Its very warming.

M - Full bodied, smooth and a little chewy. Has a nice medium level of carbonation. Works well with the flavors.

D - Not to high considering the ABV. The flavors are all very strong as well. One is enough for me.

Notes - A pretty interesting beer. Very tasty. Not very complex but all the flavors and smells seem natural and not artificial. I might consider trying this one again. Even though its a bit pricey. (887 characters)

Deep copper to brown in color. I see definite evidence of alcohol from rum barrel aging in the cloudiness of this beer. The head was minimal and quickly vanished after the pour. The aroma is of dark rum and perhaps dark malt with a bit of caramel. The mouthfeel is thick,chewy,and warm with alcohol. I get dark rum on the front of the palate. I get some sweetness and body from the pumpkin. I also get some definite warming in my throat from the alcohol. While you can tell there is abundant alcohol,I would not have guessed what I see listed on the bottle! (557 characters)

Bottle into pint glassA – Pour reminded me of pouring a bottle of soda into a pint glass but with less head, reduced to nothing instantly, stronger than average carbonation, cloudy brown amber slightly red color. 3.5S – No surprises here…pumpkin, caramel, rum, spices, alcohol, earthy 3.5T – Hoo waa, a VERY big spicy pumpkin ale. Big dark sweetness up front to a meaty pumpkin middle before the rum barrel and spice characteristics take over and fade to a moderately bitter finish. Brown sugar, vanilla, dark rum, cloves, molasses, slight fruit. Enough port similarities for me to mention it. An unrefined sugar pumpkin spiced rum bomb. 4M – Thicker, smooth, with a nice/ample level of carbonation, still very large on the palate 4O – What a truly unique beer. Not the easiest drinker, but there is so much more here that becomes a side note. I liked not loved this brew, but do recommend any BA try it simply because it is so original. Not sure I can improve upon my prior… an unrefined sugar pumpkin spiced rum bomb reflection. 4 (1,051 characters)

6 ounce pour into a globe glass at Big Wood festival at Brouwers in Seattle.

Pours clear ruby with about a finger of off-white head.

Smells very strongly of sweet fruit, it’s kind of like rotting fruit. Not in a bad way, just the way it gets stronger and sweeter when it rots. You can smell the rum from a mile away. There are a few light spices and I can detect very little pumpkin.

The taste was a lot of booze and sweet fruits. No surprises. Very crisp and full.

Palate was decent. Lots of alcohol bite and very carbonated.

Overall, I expected more from this. Love the style, and love the brewery, but Great Pumpkin still stands as my favorite pumpkin beer. (682 characters)